Lawrence County Ohio Iron Industry Tour - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. Buckeye Furnace

Buckeye Furnace is one of the fewer than five iron furnaces that have been restored in the United States. The furnace was built in 1851 and closed in 1894. The furnace was capable of producing twelve tons of pig iron per day. During the Civil War, most of the iron produced by Buckeye Furnace was used purchased by the military and utilized by the Union Army. Most of the charcoal furnaces were abandoned by the end of World War I, and only the stacks remain standing. In 1972, Buckeye Furnace was restored and now serves as a museum and general store. Buckeye Furnace sits on a 270-acre lot near Wellston, Ohio and east of Jackson, Ohio. The site hosts the Buckeye Furnace Fall Festival each year.

2. Olive Furnace

Operating from 1846-1915, Olive Furnace was one of the longest operating iron ore furnaces in Southern Ohio. This furnace was built by John Campbell, known by many as the "Father of Ironton." Olive Furnace was able to produce sixteen tons of iron per day making this one of the most productive furnaces in Southern Ohio. Local legend also states that the furnace served as a place of shelter for those escaping slavery and traveling through the area in the years leading up to the Civil War. The furnace also produced and sold iron to the United States Army during the Civil War that was used in the creation of rifles.

3. Vesuvius Iron Furnace

The Vesuvius Iron Furnace was one of sixty-nine charcoal iron furnaces located in the six-county Hanging Rock Iron Region of southern Ohio. The furnaces produced iron throughout the nineteenth century, peaking in 1875 when southeastern Ohio led the nation in iron production. Hanging Rock iron was noted for its rust and corrosion-resistant characteristics. A furnace would produce 8 to 12 tons of iron each day in the form of pig iron. Pig iron was then sold to manufacturers of other iron products. Early predictions had boasted the iron ore in the Hanging Rock region would produce iron for 2,700 years. But shortly after the Civil War, the Hanging Rock seams were depleted, and by the 1900’s, most of Hanging Rock’s furnaces had ceased operation.

4. Old Etna Iron Furnace

Dating back to1832, Etna Furnace was one of the original iron furnaces of the Hanging Rock Iron Region. The furnace produced iron until it went cold in 1887. This furnace was located on the old Iron Railroad system and was also part of Lawrence County's "Underground Railroad" as the furnace's owners supported and hired many Black workers, including those who were traveling on their way from slavery to freedom.

5. Bide-A-Wee (Once the Home of Nannie Kelly Wright)

The Queen Anne-style house called Bide-a-Wee (meaning “stay a while” in Ireland) was built by Edward James Bird, Sr. Bird passed away before construction was complete, and his widow sold it to Edwin Bixby, president of the First National Bank of Ironton. After his death, Bixby’s widow sold it to Nannie Kelly Wright, the only female ironmaster in the U.S. and one of the richest women of her time. Today, Judge Richard Walton and his family own Bide-a-Wee.

6. Lawrence County Historical Society and Museum

The Lawrence County Historical Society and Museum is located in a house built by Elizabeth Ferguson and her husband in 1870. The Italian Villa-style house features iron cresting, a double-leafed paneled door, and a tower with portholes. From 1878 to 1977, the house was owned by the Gray family whose notable members included Colonel George N. Gray, a Union soldier and ironmaster, and abolitionist John Rankin. The Museum includes exhibits on both men as well as Nannie Kelly Wright, the only female ironmaster in the U.S., and other pieces of local history.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Lawrence County Ohio Iron Industry Tour

Created by HST 231 (Marshall University) on October 25th 2020, 4:37:58 pm.

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Description

This tour will lead you to several sites of the Hanging Rock iron region of the late 19th century. This region was the most productive for the United States at that time and produced iron for the civil war. The tour will first take you to the Lawrence County Historical Society and Museum, where you can see artifacts and information on the history of the iron industry of Lawrence County. You will then go to the Nannie Kelly Wright house, which was home to the second richest woman in the world at the time, Nannie Kelly Wright. After the Nannie Kelly Wright house, you will be guided to four different iron ore furnaces of the region. Each site and entry will have their own history and backstory, with the Olive Furnace entry containing an interview with the son of a local historian that worked to get the Olive Furnace its historical marker.

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